The Social Determinants of Health: Making the Most of the American Community Survey

November 13, 2012
Stephen Borders, Community Research Institute

Health is associated with socioeconomic status (i.e. income, poverty, education, marital status). The American Community Survey (ACS) is a potentially powerful tool in identifying populations and geographic areas with health disparities. Although publicly available, many users find harnessing the power of ACS data challenging. Workshop attendees will learn about the differences between Census geographies, ACS datasets, selecting appropriate variables related to the social determinants of health, and establishing baseline and trend measures to develop visually appealing results.